Forgetting Destiny
by HCMONSTER93
Summary: Second of seven short stories about the Benedicts. (Note: Each soulfinder is made up, and not part of the original story) When Destiny McKenna finally convinces her parents to let her travel aboard, she doesn't expect to find her soulfinder mere hours after getting off the plane. Over-joyed, her celebrations are short-lived when an old family enemy steps out of the shadows ...
1. Prologue: One Thing For Sure

I sat opposite him, my knees drawn up beneath my chin and my hands clamped around my ankles to stop them shaking furiously. Though both of us were sat in the same bay window, he refused to look at me, leant forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his face in his hands, facing into the room.

The atmosphere was horribly tense. Everyone else had long since abandoned the room, unable to cope with the pressure of being near the two of us at the same time. I didn't blame them. If I could have found my voice, I'd have begged him to stay away from me.

But that would have only made things worse, and I couldn't bear how terrible they were now. So instead, I bit my tongue and kept quiet, trying not to notice how every time he looked at me, I felt like a utter failure. How could I have let this happen to me? To him? To _us?_ Had I completely lost my mind? The question would have made me laugh, if it wasn't so painfully accurate.

He suddenly took a deep, shaky breath, lifting his head long enough to speak. And still, his eyes refused to look toward me. "We're going to get through this. We'll be okay."

He sounded so sure and confident, so . . . strong. It seemed to radiate off him, wrapping around me like a safety blanket. My heart swelled, and burning tears attacked the back of my eyes. No, I couldn't fall for him anymore than I already had. It hurt too much. Neither of us deserved that. Him, especially. I hadn't decided if that made all of this that much more painful. He was so _good_ and moral and sure that the good guys had to win. He was exactly the kind of guy I'd want to spend the rest of my life with. That much, I knew for a fact.

My thoughts made my throat close, irritated and sore. I tried to shake them away, but it wasn't working. The tears grew closer to the edge, and my stomach twisted anxiously. More than anything, I just wanted this to be over. I didn't want the constant aching in my chest, I didn't want to know what I was missing, I just wanted to go home . . . to forget.

The tears suddenly streamed down my face at the thought and the sheer agony it brought, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't keep the sobs quiet. He went rigid opposite me, his hands clamping around the edges of the bench we were on to keep himself still. The sight of it was too much to take and my face fell onto my knees, my arms wrapping around them tightly as I cried.

At that moment, I knew only one thing for sure; if I ever found out who had done this, I'd kill them.


	2. 1: Destiny: Brains Over Brawn

"So let me get this straight," I frowned. "We only have two weeks in New York City, and you want to go to some _science conference?"_

My best friend, Coleen Darcey, rolled her eyes at me dramatically. As always, she was dressed in smart black trousers, a red blouse and pink pumps, looking more like she was on her way to work than she was on holiday. Her blonde hair had been pulled back into its usual strict bun, silver studs pressed into her ears that shone almost as bright as her shining blue eyes. In her hands, she held a map and a large wad of American dollar bills, holiday money from her parents who'd had to stay back in New Zealand to work.

"It's not going to be that bad," she told me, in her usual posh tone, like she was purposely trying to sound British.

"It's a science conference, Col," I groaned loudly. "Just thinking about it makes me wanted to bury my head in a brick wall."

"That's it, Des," a sarcastic voice sounded from the hotel door. "You always did have a positive outlook on life, didn't you?"

I shot my cousin, Jessie, a cool look, but shrugged a shoulder when she smiled widely. Like most of the family, she was quite small, with masses of red tangled hair and dark chocolate eyes. She looked almost the exact opposite of Coleen, wearing small denim shorts and a baggy black crop top with a white lip print.

"Are we getting this thing over and done with then or what?" she sighed, straightening out.

Coleen glanced at me uncertainly for a moment, then turned back toward Jessie with a grimace. "Aren't you . . . I mean, don't you want to . . ."

Jessie lifted an eyebrow. "Don't I want to what?"

"Get changed," Coleen rushed and I burst out laughing, pulling my friend in a hug before she could move.

"Oh, it's a good job we love you, Col," I chuckled.

"For your information, I dressed like this on purpose," Jessie pouted, and Coleen's shoulders sagged wryly.

"Why?" she asked, as though she didn't want to answer.

Jessie sniffed, drawing herself up to her full height. "It's my _own_ little experiment," she answered, relatively proud of herself.

My lips curved into a wide smile. "Oh?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I want to see if any of these science geeks are going to be brave enough to hit on me."

"Jessie!" Coleen scolded as I laughed again, high fiving her as I passed to raid my suitcase for my favourite denim jacket.

"What?" she blinked back innocently. "Intelligence can really work for some guys, you know."

"Oh, I'll bet," I said, pulling my face.

"Just because _some girls_ prefer the athletic types," she sneered, shooting me a pointed look. I smirked back, ignoring her.

Instead, I focused on the reflection in the mirror on the far wall. I was a little taller than Jessie, with the same family resemblance and build. My dark brunette hair had been dipped-dyed blonde, pulled back into a rough ponytail away from my slim face. Today, my first day on holiday, I'd dressed in a white lace summer dress to showcase my heavy tan, and my sunglasses were already perched on top of my head. New York might not have been the sort of place to lounge around on beaches all day, but I was on holiday, so I was going to make the most of every single second, and God help anyone who ruined it for me.

Figuring she was going to lose the battle, Coleen sighed heavily and slung her bag over her shoulders. "Ready to go then?" Jessie and I nodded at her, and I pulled my cropped denim jacket over my shoulders, rolling the sleeves back and slipping my feet into my usual, tatty combat boots on the way out of the door.

Outside, the sun was shining down so brightly, the heat almost knocked me back. Business men and women looked even more annoyed than usual, uncomfortable in their suits and jackets. On the other side of the road, a group of workmen drilling through the tarmac had paused to cool off, wolf-whistling at the women walking past. Kids on their holidays rushed past, giggling loudly and ignoring shouts from their parents.

"So," Jessie yawned. "When do my favourite Aunt and Uncle arrive, and how the hell did you convince them to let you come out here early?"

I smiled. "Your _only_ Aunt and Uncle arrive later tonight, and since Cam lives over here, I promised to check in with him and Loz."

My parents, both of whom were severely over-protective, had only allowed me to come to New York with Coleen and Jessie when I begged my eldest brother, Cameron, to talk sense into them. He'd gotten a job over here and emigrated years ago, and now lived in an apartment in the city centre with his wife, Laura, and their two children, Margo and Oliver, both under four years old. I'd only managed to see them all for a few minutes yesterday night, and I couldn't wait to spend more time with my niece and nephew since I rarely got to see them, living so far away.

"I still think we could have just come out with them tonight," Jessie shrugged, her eyes shining.

And, just as she wanted, Coleen gasped in horror. "But we'd have missed the conference!"

"Exactly," Jessie grumbled at me, and I scoffed, letting my attention slip back to scanning my surroundings curiously. I knew the two of them were about to get into another of their constant arguments, and I'd heard it all before. They clashed. In fact, Coleen and I clashed. A lot. She was academic and quiet, and I . . . I wasn't. I was athletic, strong minded and outspoken. But she'd been my best friend since I was three years old. She was the one that pulled me back before I made a rash decision. For that alone, I owed her a lot.

Remarkably, there was no queue outside to get into the conference. _Go figure_,I thought dryly. I really didn't want to, but I followed Coleen and Jessie through the doors reluctantly and clipped my sunglasses on the front of my dress. Inside, a reasonable sized group of teenagers roughly our age were shuffling in different directions, to the bathrooms, to buy drinks or to find seats. I figured there was no rush to do the latter, so I swerved around Coleen and Jessie and made my way to the drinks stand.

Queuing up silently, I rummaged through my small bag to find my iPod, hoping I remembered to pack it. I didn't think I could bear sitting through a whole three hour lecture on . . . well, I wasn't even sure what it was about. But I'd hardly opened the bag when I caught a snippet of someone else's conversation.

"-believe you dragged me to this," an irritable, gruff voice came.

"I didn't drag you," another boy replied, and I looked up, scanning the queue cautiously to try and find whoever was talking. "Xav's happy enough."

"Oh, yeah," the third voice replied, dripping in a sarcasm Jessie would have been proud of. "I'm just here for the chicks."

I couldn't help smiling at that, abandoning my search for my iPod as my eyes fell on the three boys at the front of the line. One was taller and muscular, dressed in dark clothes and a biker jacket, like he was here to beat up nerds rather than listen to the lecture. The second was taller still, lanky with the looks of a male surfer. The third was the only boy that looked like he fit in here, with stylish glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, ruffled dark hair and a look about him, as though intelligence could actually change your appearance. The sight made me wonder if coming here was such a bad idea after all, and I smiled to myself, lifting a hand to pull my hair free of its ponytail.

The three guys moved away from the front of the queue, and my eyes trailed after them. There was something about them, the way they acted, that made me smile. It reminded me of when I was younger and I actually _saw_ my brothers.

"Hey, Des!" Jessie shouted from the other side of the hall, and I glanced back, just in time to see Coleen smack her around the back of the head. "You nearly done? If I hear one more word about university from her. . ."

I grinned. "Just a minute!"

When I finally reached the front of the line, I bought myself a small drink and strode back toward Jessie and Coleen, already tuning out their bickering and returning to my search for my iPod as Coleen led the way into the lecture hall.

The room was huge, and despite the fact it was boiling hot outside, it was freezing in here. A stage had been set up at the far end, and an optimistic amount of chairs sat in front of it. The lights had been turned down and spotlights shone on the stage, as though we were attending one of those self-empowerment talks rather than a science conference.

"Come on," Coleen beamed in excitement. "Let's find some decent seats."

"That'll be the food court then," Jessie mumbled sourly at me, and I snorted, hurriedly trying to turn my laugh into a cough when Coleen shot me a cool look.

"I'm sorry," I grimaced at her. "We'll be good, I promise."

Jessie scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

We eventually found seats, horribly close to the front, but I pursed my lips tightly and settled down next to the others, discreetly shoving one of my iPod headphones into my ear, ruffling my hair until it covered the wire. I'd just about picked out one of my favourite songs - _Army of Two _by a British singer named Olly Murs - when someone cleared their throat out behind me.

"That's cheating," the voice muttered in my ear, and I jumped in surprise, wheeling around on my seat.

The boy grinned at me. He was the surfer looking one from the drinks stand, tall and reasonably lanky. On either side of him, the other boys who I presumed were his brothers grimaced at me, like they were already apologising in advance.

Coleen, on the other hand, barely paid them any attention. "What's cheating?" she frowned at me. I opened my mouth to answer, but her eyes had already landed on the iPod in my hand. "Des! You promised!"

I shot the boy a sour look. "You had to open your mouth, didn't you?" He smirked, shrugging a shoulder.

"Forget him," Coleen glowered, and one of his brothers, the biker guy, scoffed.

"Most people do."

She ignored them again, reaching out to snatch the iPod headphones out of my ears. "Do you have any idea what people here will think if they see you zoned out listening to . . . oh God, what _is_ that anyway?"

I sighed heavily. "I don't care what people think, Col," I shrugged, taking my iPod back. "You wanted to come here, not me."

"You could at least stop complaining about it!" she snapped back.

"Hey, I go to plenty of these back home without one word," I scowled back at her, folding my arms over my chest indignantly. "But we're supposed to be on _holiday,_ Col, not squirreled away in some dark room listening to know-it-alls brag about how much smarter they are than everyone else!"

"Here, here!" the surfer boy agreed with me.

Coleen rolled her eyes. "It's one lecture, Des, then no more talking about it until we get home."

"Damn right," Jessie scoffed at her. "If you think I'm putting up with you pick apart every sentence when we finally get out of this hell-hole, you've got another thing coming."

"I won't," Coleen assured us. "So long as you keep quiet and pay attention."

I shifted with a frown. "I knew I should have gotten the later flight," I grumbled. She scowled at me. "Fine, not another word, I swear." She nodded, but took my iPod out of my hands before I could stop her and stuffed it into her pocket. I glowered back at the surfer boy. "I'll never forgive you for that."

"Well then, I'll just have to talk to your friend over here, won't I?" he grinned, winking at Jessie. She lifted an eyebrow, but the corners of her lips tugged.

Unfortunately, I only managed to keep my promise to Coleen for about half an hour. I didn't mean to make any noise, but I'd forgotten to put my phone on silent, and of course, my over-bearing mother couldn't go for twelve hours without speaking to me. So when the Blackberry gave a shrill ring from my pocket, the entire lecture hall turned to stare at me and I felt my chest tighten awkwardly.

"Sorry!" I hissed at Coleen, who was gawping at me like I'd just slapped her. Grimacing, I ignored the boys behind us laughing to themselves and hurried out of the lecture hall, apologising to everyone I could on my way.

The moment the doors were shut behind me, I dragged my phone out of my pocket, groaning loudly at the name on the caller ID. "Mum!" I complained as I answered it. "I was in the middle of the lecture!"

"Oh, well it's nice to hear from you too," her sour reply came, and my shoulders sagged wryly. "I was only ringing to let you know that your father and I are about to get onto the plane now."

I hesitated. "That's it? Mum, you could have sent that in a text!"

"Don't be silly," she replied irritably. "I don't know how to work those things!" I bit down on my bottom lip hard to stop myself snapping at her. I knew she was more than capable of texting, she just didn't like it because then she couldn't grill me about every tiny detail of my waking life. "Anyway, we'll be there in time for dinner hopefully, so I've asked Cameron to book a table at the restaurant Laura works in."

"Great," I replied, forcing myself to sound more optimistic than I felt.

"And what about you and your friends, honey? Having a good time?"

My lips pursed. "I'm at a science conference, Mum. What do you think?"

"And Cameron picked you up from the airport, did he? Took you to the hotel? You haven't been wandering around New York in the dark, have you, because you know it's dangerous there."

I felt my eyes close exasperatedly as I massaged my temple with my free hand. "I know, Mum, I'm not stupid. Cameron's given me the lecture already, okay? He picked me up from the airport, took me to see Margo and Oliver for an hour and to get some food, then dropped me off at the hotel, just like he said he would. I stayed in the room all night watching TV, fell asleep before ten o'clock and had pancakes for breakfast at the hotel restaurant this morning."

"Honestly, Destiny, why would I care what you had for breakfast?" Mum sighed back, and my eyes rolled. "You're not a child anymore, you know."

"I'm getting that," I agreed through my teeth.

"Alright, well they're calling our flight now, so be good! We'll see you soon, honey. Love you!"

"Bye, Mum," I grumbled unenthusiastically. "Love you too."

Hanging up, I took a deep breath and leant back against the wall to calm down for a moment. My Mum had always been like this. Since I was the only girl in the family, she'd always been so much more paranoid over my safety than anyone else's, which was strange, because Dad was quite confident in my ability to look after myself. Mum seemed to think that she had to stop me from making all the same mistakes she had, which didn't leave much room for me to make my own decisions. From what I'd heard from Jessie's parents, my Aunt Claire and Uncle Dan, she'd made a _lot_ of mistakes.

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I turned to head back into the lecture hall, making sure to put my phone on silent as I went. But being so focused on my phone, I walked straight into something quite solid, taking a sharp intake of breath in surprise and staggering back at step.

"Sorry!" the guy cursed, reaching out to grab my arm to steady me. "Sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"No, it's fine, I wasn't looking where I was going," I answered back, blinking a few more times and letting my gaze settle on his face. It was one of the guys sat behind us in the lecture hall, only this time, it was the intelligent looking one. Looking at him, I opened my mouth to say something else, but the words disappeared before I had the chance.

He frowned carefully. "Are you alright?" His hand tightened slightly around my arm.

I gulped, shaking myself. "Yeah, I'm fine," I nodded. "Just . . . erm, distracted."

The guy hesitated for a moment, then held his hand out in front of him. "Yves Benedict," he told me.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, shaking his hand. "Destiny McKenna."

"McKenna?" Yves blinked. "As in, the McKennas from New Zealand?"

I stared at him in surprise, trying not to look as panicked as I felt. In my experience, people who'd heard of my family generally weren't very nice people. "Yes," I said slowly, taking a small step back. "Why'd you ask . . . exactly?"

"No, no, it's nothing bad," he rushed, flushing slightly. "I heard of your family through the Net."

My eyes widened. "You're a Savant?" I gawped, and automatically my mind reached out for his to double-check. Stepping into his thoughts however, made something shift awkwardly, and though I knew he was telling the truth, there was something different that made me take another step back. The sight made his eyes widened slightly and he held his hands out in surrender.

_I'm not going to hurt you,_ his voice came in the back of my mind, and I went rigid. Suddenly, the rest of the world seemed to blur out of focus and a rush of emotion strong enough to leave me breathless overrode my whole body. It was as if the whole world had turned on its axis. This wasn't possible. He couldn't be . . . could he?

_Oh my God,_ I heard myself breath mentally, my heart beating frantically, and Yves's face dropped.

For a moment, neither of us moved. Then I let out a stunned laugh, shaking all over in shock, and threw my arms around his shoulders tightly. He scoffed weakly, spluttering my hair out of his mouth and locking his arms around my waist. "God, I can't believe this," I laughed quietly, unable to shift the smile off my face. "I can't _believe _this!"

"Me neither," he muttered back, stunned.

Beaming widely, I pulled back slightly, making sure my arms were still wrapped around his neck. "Who would've thought I'd meet my soulfinder at a science conference?"


	3. 2: Destiny: Discovery

Yves just stared at me, the corners of his lips twitching occasionally like he still couldn't believe what was happening. Honestly, I knew the feeling. It was like there were a thousand butterflies squirming in the pit of my stomach, and my skin shivered with a cold electricity, everywhere but the small of my back, where Yves still had his hands resting.

Unable to shift the smile off my face, I beamed at him. "You're a geek," I giggled hysterically, my eyes shining.

He flushed, his eyebrows tightening. "What?"

"Sorry," I laughed, trying to stop myself. "It's just so funny."

Forgetting for a moment that I was insulting him, he grinned back. "And you're . . . you're here," he muttered. My smile wavered for a second as my heart clenched tightly. I'd found my soulfinder . . . how_ amazing_ was that?

Suddenly, I was beaming again. "I know."

He laughed, a light, heartfelt sound that made my insides squirm in excitement. "You want to get out of here?"

"Is that a trick question?" I chuckled.

Slipping a hand into mine and holding it tightly, Yves turned back and led the way into the lecture hall. It still wasn't very full, but I still had to bite my bottom lip to stop myself disturbing the few people there were as Yves strode straight down the far left side of the room and back toward the others. Reluctantly, he let go of my hand as he shifted down his row to collect his jacket.

"Hey, I'm leaving!" I hissed quietly at Coleen. Not taking her eyes off the man giving the lecture, she waved a hand dismissively. Lifting an eyebrow, I shrugged and snatched my jacket and purse up.

"What's going on?" one of the boys behind us suddenly asked a little louder, and Coleen shot him a disgusted look. But he wasn't paying attention. He was scowling curiously between me and Yves, who was still grinning like an idiot.

"Explain later," I shrugged, snatching his hand back and pulling him away.

"What?" the biker guy scoffed, only half amused.

"Relax Zed," Yves frowned. "It's fine, I'll catch up with you later." Turning away again, he led the way to the end of the row of chairs.

"Des!" Jessie called in protest, standing up with a scowl. "What the hell are you playing at?" All around her, people were shushing and glowering irritably, but even Coleen was watching me worriedly.

I rolled my eyes and smiled wryly. "Trust me, I'll explain later."

"And what happens when your parents ask us why you ran off with a guy you've just met?" Jessie snapped. "They'll go mad, Des!"

"Then don't tell them," I shrugged, and the boys behind gawped. Without explaining any clearer, I pulled Yves toward the exit and slipped out of the lecture hall, laughing to myself.

"What was all that about?" he asked the second we were out of sight. I shot him a quizzical look, still smiling as his fingers tightened around mine. "Your parents."

My smile wavered a fraction, and he blinked in surprise. "Please don't ask about them," I pleaded quietly.

"Don't they work in the Net?"

I sighed heavily. "That's technically asking about them, Yves. But yes, they do. They're great people, but they're . . . difficult, shall we say? More my mother, really, and I . . ." I trailed off for a second when I realised he hadn't the faintest idea what I was talking about. "Can we leave it for now please? I'll deal with my parents later."

"That sounds . . . ominous," he commented dryly.

"You have no idea."

He hesitated a moment, then shook the thoughts away and smiled as best as he could as we pushed the doors open and stepped outside back into the sun. "So, first time in New York?" he asked, unclipping a pair of sunglasses from his shirt and replacing them with his regular glasses.

I nodded, my grin returning. "Actually, it's my first time aboard." _God, he looks good in those,_ my mind muttered at me as I eyed his sunglasses.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Where about in New Zealand are you from?"

"Christchurch," I replied immediately. "My Dad is originally from Scotland though. Emigrated when he was younger and met my Mum. How about you? You live here?"

Yves shook his head, oblivious to the group of girls hovering outside the conference building, gawping at him. They turned away pretty quickly when I glared in their direction. "I live in Colorado. A little town called Wrickenridge in the Rockies."

"Wow," I blinked, quickly putting my expression right when he glanced at me. "I bet it's beautiful over there."

He smiled. "It is. Hopefully, you'll get to see it someday."

I couldn't help grinning back. "Sounds good to me."

"In the meantime, what do you want to do today? Central Park? Times Square? Statue of Liberty? The Empire State Building?" I laughed lightly as he waved down a cab, flushing slightly. "Since it's your first trip here," he added.

Still smiling, I stretched up on my toes to plant a kiss on his cheek softly as the cab drew to a halt in front of us. "The park," I answered. "I want to be able to talk for a while, since I don't _actually _know you." Yves pulled a face, holding the door open and letting me climb in first.

Settling beside me, he told the driver where to take us, then leant back and tried to relax, his eyes flicking toward me occasionally. "I'm not going to disappear, you know," I chuckled, shuffling a little closer.

"Good to know," he nodded. "I just . . . I still can't believe it's actually you." He stared at me, speechless, and for a moment, I worried there was something wrong.

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully, my fingertips twitching beside me.

"Well, I always thought you'd be . . . you know, more like me, I guess," he shrugged.

I lifted an eyebrow, slowly leaning away from him, and his expression faltered. "Meaning?"

"It's nothing bad," he rushed, shifting on the spot. "I just always presumed you'd be a little more reserved, you know? A little less popular."

Something began to tingle in my chest awkwardly. Was he trying to call me shallow? After knowing me for all of _ten minutes?_ "How do you know I'm popular?" I asked, a little harshly, and he scoffed before he could help himself, eyeing me in disbelief. "What?"

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately?" he questioned, and I felt my cheeks flush. I had to admit, I knew I looked good. I had no worries about my self-appearance. I was perfectly comfortable with the way I looked. But that didn't mean this guy, soulfinder or not, could take one look at me and decide he knew me better than anyone else.

As if he could tell what I was thinking, Yves frowned. "I'm being a jerk, right?"

"What was your first clue?" I muttered back darkly, folding my arms over my chest.

He sighed heavily, twisting in his seat to look at me. "Sorry, I'm not really very good at this," he grimaced, a little embarrassed. "I'm not like the rest of my brothers. I'm not that good with girls."

Despite my best efforts, I felt my irritation dissipate slightly. "Good," I commented, glancing at him with a frown.

"What?" he blinked, astonished.

"Oh, yeah," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Like you don't notice all those girls drooling over you." His cheeks suddenly burnt red, and my eyebrows rose. "Seriously? You _actually_ don't notice?" Slowly and uncomfortably, he shook his head. "Christ, Yves. You might be a science geek, but you're a _hot_ science geek. I thought that much was obvious."

If anything, that just made him more uncomfortable, which in turn made me smile. It was something of a novelty, being with a guy as modest about his looks as Yves seemed to be. My last boyfriend had been that vain, he'd carried a compact mirror in his back pocket everywhere he went, just in case the wind was bowling a little too hard and it messed up his hair. We hadn't stayed together long.

The cab drew to a halt outside a vast, green park, and Yves leant forward with what looked like far too many dollar bills. "Keep the change," he muttered, leading the way out of the cab. Taking my hand in his again, he managed a quick smile in my direction and started toward the park entrance.

Central Park was beautiful. The lake was glistening under the sunlight, and kids shrieked loudly as they chased their parents across the grass. Elderly couples lined most of the benches, most quietly enjoying each other's company and watching families eat picnics in the shade of the trees, or dogs chasing sticks.

Smirking at Yves's discomfort as we continued to walk hand in hand through the park, I decided to cut the guy some slack and change topic. "So, what does your family do?"

He took a deep breath, shaking away our last conversation and cautiously meeting my gaze. "They run the ski slopes back home," he shrugged. "And they work in the Net, too. That's actually why we're here."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it is," I grumbled. Trust my parents to conveniently forget to tell me that the only reason I was allowed on my first trip aboard was because I'd be surrounded by Savant Net members.

Yves glanced at me curiously, but decided not to ask. "What about your parents?"

"They run a security firm," I answered. "My eldest brother, Cameron, is a NYPD cop, Frankie is a teacher in a primary school, then there's me, and my youngest brother, Leon, who's four, so he doesn't do much more than eat and sleep. Do you have siblings?"

He snorted. "Six brothers," he grimaced at me. "You've already met two of them back at the conference. That was Zed and Xavier. Then there's Will, Uriel, Trace and Victor."

"Any of them met their soulfinders?" I asked curiously.

He grinned, his eyes shining. "Zed has," he nodded. "Just before Christmas, he met an English girl called Grace. They argue constantly, but they seem happy enough, so most of the time we just leave them to it."

"Most of the time?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow when Yves laughed lightly.

"Zed sees the future," he explained. "And Grace can turn back time, or at least, she can make you think she is doing. She's pretty much always been in control of her own actions, and Zed constantly winds her up when he sees another premonition. She hates him seeing her future, but since she's closer to him than anyone else, she's usually the only one he does see these days."

"Sounds tough," I commented thoughtfully, running my thumb across my fingertips. I wondered what Yves's gift was. Would we clash like that?

"Then there's Uriel and Faith," he continued with a heavy sigh. "Faith had been kidnapped when she was young by a criminal family called the Kellys, and Zed and Grace managed to break her out not too long ago."

I choked, faltering in my steps. "They did what?" I breathed, wide eyed.

Yves frowned cautiously, like he didn't understand what I was so surprised about. "It's a long story," he said slowly. "Basically, the Kellys were working for another man who was trying to get to Grace and her brother, so they kidnapped Zed to get her to move out into the open. While she was helping Zed escape, we learnt Faith was there. At the time, Zed thought he needed Faith's help - that's an even longer story - so he and Grace broke her out, not too long ago. She wasn't in good shape though. As far as I know, Uriel still hasn't managed to get her to talk to him."

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him in shock. Not only was he talking about severely dangerous situations like they occurred daily and were nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but he'd said his brother had not only been caught up in it all, but his parents had encouraged him to go back into the danger to help someone else. If I had ever even entertained a thought like that, my mother would've killed me herself.

"Are you alright?" Yves frowned.

"Fine," I lied, shaking myself and clearing my throat. "I just can't believe you all went through that much trouble, that's all."

He shrugged. "Comes with the territory, right?"

"I wouldn't know," I admitted carefully. "My parents are incredibly overprotective." He hesitated, opening his mouth to comment before closing it again quickly. Whatever he wanted to say, he obviously thought better of it. Taking my hand in his again, he continued moving, taking a deep breath and changing the subject once more.

"Everyone's a little busy trying to help Thea at the moment though, since Faith won't let any of us near her," he told me, oblivious to my internal struggle. I wanted to pay attention to him, but I was stunned. Did all that mean my parents faced things like that as well? How much were they protecting me from? I shook myself, staring up at him and forcing myself to focus, determined to shake thoughts of the Savant Net out of my mind. But looking at Yves didn't help much. I'd been right before; he was hot. Seriously hot. The longer I looked, the more I saw it. I found my eyes trailing over his cheekbones, and his jawline, and the curve of his bottom lip, and suddenly, my heart was fluttering weakly in my chest.

"Destiny?" he blinked. "Did you hear me?"

I shook myself, blushing slightly. "No, sorry, what was that?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "I said it's tough for Thea, not being able to help. But at least now there's one less to do, right?"

I stared, sure I should understand exactly what he was talking about, but I hadn't a clue. I'd been far too busy admiring my soulfinder's face. _Nothing wrong with that,_ I thought to myself.

"Are you alright?" Yves frowned. "Maybe we should get you out of the sun for a while."  
I smiled slightly. "No, I'm fine, honestly. Just distracted."

"By?"

"You," I answered honestly, and he flushed again. I laughed. "Sorry, start again. Who's Thea?"

Yves's lips twitched. "Alex's soulfinder."

"And who's Alex?"

"Grace's twin brother."

I frowned in thought. "And Grace is . . . Zed's soulfinder?" I grimaced cautiously. Yves nodded, smirking slightly. Apparently, his embarrassment didn't stretch far enough to stop him being incredibly pleased that it was so easy for him to distract me. "Right. And how was Leah trying to help again?"

He sighed. "Thea," he corrected, and I scowled at him. "And she's a soulseeker. She's supposed to be able to look into your mind and find your soulfinder for you."

I gawped. "Really? Is that possible?"

Yves nodded. "That's how my parents found each other. Dad knew a soulseeker. Are your parents soulfinders?"

Instinctively, the question made me shudder. "No," I blurted, a little too quickly, and Yves blinked. "And please, do _not_ bring that up when you meet them, alright? Oh God, and don't mention Thea either."

He frowned. "Why not? I know she can't do anything at the moment, after all the problems with the Kellys, but she could help your siblings find their soulfinders. I'm sure she'd be more than willing to do it."

I gulped hard, shaking my head. "Can we change topic please?"

Without answering, Yves pulled me to a halt and grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "Why do I get the idea your family has a serious problem with soulfinders?" he glared, and I was torn between being very protective over my family, or very protective over him. How was I supposed to explain why my parents were most likely going to despise him?

"It's a long story," I grimaced. "And I'd really rather not ruin the day with all that, so can we please forget it for now? I swear, I'll explain soon, just . . . just let me break the news to them first, okay?"

He hesitated, straightening out with a dark expression. "They won't be happy?"

"Honestly, I have no idea how they'll react," I admitted glumly.

For a moment, it looked like he was going to argue and make me tell him. Then, he sighed heavily and took a step closer. My stomach clenched tightly, but I didn't move, watching in surprise as he let one of his hands rest on my waist, the other wrapped tightly around mine. "Trust me, if we can handle Grace's father, we can certainly handle yours," he muttered dryly, and I had a feeling there was more to that, but I never got chance to ask.

His hand slipped from my waist and his arm wrapped around me, pulling me into his chest carefully and making me gasp involuntarily. Hesitating a fraction of a second, he slowly lowered his lips to mine, and I shivered in anticipation. In my experience, such gentle, cautious kiss weren't usually this good. No one had affected me like this before, and I'd honestly never been so nervous in my entire life.

He pulled back, leaving me shaking slightly in his hold. The flush was suddenly back again. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm not good at this."

I couldn't help laughing at him. "Actually, you're very good at this," I assured him quietly. He blinked, and before I could chicken out, I took his face in my hands and kissed him quickly. "It's my fault," I told him. "I'm not used to being around guys like you."

At that, he straightened. "Like me?"

"You know, one of the good guys," I shrugged with a small smile. "The guys back at my high school were all arrogant jackasses."

"Oh." He wasn't flushing again, so obviously he hadn't taken that as the compliment I'd thought it was. Of all the things I'd told him today, why was it the one I thought meant most seemed more upsetting to him?

_Stop overthinking,_ I scolded myself again.

"Come on," I sighed, shaking the thoughts out of my mind. "I need to eat."

The rest of the day was easily the best day of my life, punctuated with small moments of incredible awkwardness. I soon learnt that Yves wasn't just a geek, he was a genius, and a rich one at that. He talked a lot over lunch about the sort of work he did, but I wasn't really listening. I found myself captivated by the glint in his eyes as he talked excitedly, my own eyes drinking in as much of him as humanly possible. The one part I did pick up on was that he mentioned Grace's name a lot. Apparently, she was reasonably smart herself. More so than me, anyway, and I had a feeling he found this sort of conversation a lot more interesting with her. But the thought annoyed me, so I tried not to dwell on it too much. Besides, Grace was his brother's soulfinder. What was I worried about?

He asked a lot of questions about me, too. My hobbies, my school, what I wanted to do with my life, and oddly, I found I didn't want to tell him. I'd never done _badly_ at school, but after listening to him open up about his own life, I felt strangely stupid. Academic subjects weren't ever my strong suit, and he didn't seem at all surprised when I admitted my hobbies were mostly sports, like volleyball or tennis. One thing he couldn't get his head around was the fact I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

"Seriously?" Yves blinked while we were sat in a café eating lunch.

"Why's that so surprising?" I frowned. "Most of the things I prefer doing are sports, and I can't go into that. I already have trouble keeping people from getting suspicious at school."

"So did my brothers," he nodded in agreement.

"I'm just not the kind of person to sit down and study," I shrugged, dropping my gaze. I knew he wouldn't understand, not when he was obviously so wrapped up in his own studies.

Sensing my discomfort, he reached over and wrapped a hand through mine. "You'll find something," he told me gently, and I managed a tight smile in reply.

We went to the Empire State Building after that, and conversation became a lot less intense, which inevitably meant I was much more comfortable. We laughed and joked easily, and as time progressed, I spent more and more of it wrapped in his arms. In the end, we didn't spend much of it admiring the sights. After looking forward to this trip and seeing New York, I'd arrived to pretty much disregard everything but Yves Benedict.

We were heading out of the Empire State Building when my phone gave a shrill ring from my pocket. I scowled, knowing it was only a matter of time before my mother broke through my little bubble and ruined the day. And that was before I told her about Yves.

"Are you going to answer that?" he asked me with a small smile.

I found I couldn't muster the enthusiasm to send it back. "Depends on who it is," I admitted as I pulled the phone out of my pocket. The caller ID read _Jessie,_ so with pursed lips, I lifted it up to my ear and answered it. "Jessie, this really isn't a good time."

"Good time?" her panicked reply came. "Are you _kidding me?_ Your parents just got here, Des, and since you aren't here, they're freaking out already!"

"Can't you stall them?" I groaned.

"You realise who we're talking about, right?" she hissed back. "Look, I don't know what's up with you and that guy you ran off with, but get back here. Quickly!" Without waiting for an answer, she hung up irritably.

I glowered at the screen, and Yves pulled me closer. "Something wrong?"

"My parents," I grumbled. "I have to go."

His face straightened, and if I'd been in a better mood, knowing he was going to miss me as much as I'd miss him might've made me smile. "Are you alright?"

"No," I shrugged, coming to a halt. He stood in front of me, close enough that I could smell his cologne. "But you were right. We'll handle it."

He frowned at me in concern. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Yes, but that's probably not a good idea," I replied wryly. His frown deepened. Sighing heavily, I put my phone away and pulled a pen out of my purse. "Here's my number," I told him, scribbling it on the back of his hand. "And the hotel I'm staying at. My parents and I are going to dinner with Cameron tonight, so I'll tell them then, and I'll see you again tomorrow, right?"

Yves smiled slightly. "If you want to. My parents are going to want to meet you."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

Before I could move away, he pulled me into his chest and kissed me deeply, his hands clamped around my waist. My heart fluttered furiously, and it took me a moment to collect myself enough to kiss him back.

"You know, you're probably the first guy I've ever been nervous around," I admitted weakly when he pulled away.

He blinked, surprised. "Really?"

I smiled. "See you tomorrow, Yves."

"See you later, Destiny."

Biting my bottom lip, I waved a cab down and climbed into the back, already hating the growing distance between me and my soulfinder. How was I going to break this to my parents? Would they ever accept it? And what was going to happen if they didn't? I couldn't just go back to New Zealand and forget Yves existed, not now.

_You're just going to have to put your foot down,_ I thought to myself.

Great. My only option was to start World War Three with my mother. This should be interesting.


	4. 3: Destiny: World War III

"Where on Earth have you been?" my mother shrieked the moment I stepped into the hotel room.

Coleen and Jessie were sat on a sofa in front of the TV screen, watching the two of us, the first with wide eyes, and the second with a scowl. In the background, my father had his back to us, staring out of the window as he spoke on the phone.

Directly in front of me, my mother was glowering.

She was a relatively small woman who'd become somewhat rounded over the last few years. She was tanned with dark brunette hair that scraped her shoulders, and large blue eyes. Like always, she had that sort of look, like she'd once been very beautiful, but age and stress was slowly wearing her out. My parents were certainly no spring chickens. Mum had been in her mid-thirties when she'd had Cameron. These days, she was nearing sixty.

"Well?" she insisted furiously.

I rolled my eyes. "I was making friends, Mum," I shrugged. "You know, meeting new people, experiencing new things."

"Alone?" she snapped.

"No, Mum," I glared back. "I don't know about you, but I find it very hard to make friends when I'm on my own!"

"Don't raise your voice with me, young lady!" Mum shouted. "Your father and I have been out of our minds with worry!" Dad glanced over his shoulder, shooting me a look that clearly warned me he'd been doing no such thing, before turning back away again.

"Then stop trying to control every part of my life," I replied through my teeth. "I met some new people, decided to check out Central Park and the Empire State Building, and since I'm more than capable of looking after myself, I figured there wasn't a problem."

"Oh, so that's it, is it?" she glowered. "Now you're eighteen you think you're old enough to do what the hell you like?"

My eyes narrowed. "Sure. Something like that."

For a second, Mum stared at me, stunned. Then she let out a frustration yell and turned for backup. "Peter, would you _please_ talk to your daughter?" she groaned loudly, and Dad's shoulders sagged. He looked younger than Mum, despite being five years older, with dark hair flecked with grey and wise, brown eyes. As always he was dressed in a sharp suit with a soft expression.

"Sara, cut the girl some slack," he mumbled, holding the phone away from his mouth. "She wanted to see some sights and meet new people, she did, and now she's back. Leave it at that, ey?" Mum glared furiously at him, but he just turned away again and returned to his conversation.

"Am I the only one who cares about our only daughter?" she shrieked, spinning around melodramatically and stalking out of the room. Dad barely looked up.

"Nice going, Des," Jessie grumbled as I sank into the armchair beside her and Coleen. "She's been freaking out!"

I felt my cheeks flush. "It's not my fault she's a control freak. I was perfectly safe."

"How do you know that?" Coleen frowned. "You didn't even know that guy, Des! What were you thinking?"

My lips pursed tightly. "It's a long story."

"Good job we have time," Jessie scowled.

"Later," I dismissed, eyeing Dad as he hung up. Before Jessie or Coleen could argue, I jumped back up and hurried to pull my father into a hug.

He chuckled affectionately in my ear. "Hey, honey," he smiled. "Had a good day?"

That was what I loved about my father. Mum freaked out about invisible dangers and Dad liked to see me actually living my life. For the first time, I beamed widely. "It was brilliant, Dad," I breathed, and his eyes widened.

"Oh? Well maybe you can tell us about it," he smiled kindly. "Over dinner, mind. Let your mother calm down for a while." My smile wavered and I hurriedly debated my options as his own expression straightened. "Des? Are you alright?"

I cast an awkward glance back at Jessie and Coleen. "I need to talk to you," I mumbled at him. "Alone. It's important."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise for a moment, but nodded slowly and cleared his throat. "Erm, girls? Could you leave me to talk with my daughter for a few minutes please?"

Immediately, Coleen nodded and leapt to her feet. "Of course, Mr. McKenna," she smiled politely. Jessie rolled her eyes irritably behind her, but dutifully got to her feet and followed my best friend out of the room.

"Now," Dad smiled warily. "What's wrong?"

_Get it over with Des,_ I told myself, biting my lip hard. _Just blurt it out and get it over with._ Closing my eyes tightly, I forced myself to say it with a grimace.

"I found my soulfinder."

Dad blinked, straightening out in astonishment. Slowly, I opened one of my eyes a fraction. Fear crept through me like an ice cube sliding down my spine, but slowly, my father's face relaxed. "That's . . . that's brilliant, honey," he muttered, and something like grief flashed through his eyes as he forced himself to smile. "I'm really happy for you. That's who you've been with all day?"

I nodded, gulping hard as I straightened my expression out. "His name is Yves Benedict."

Dad lifted an eyebrow. "Benedict, huh? I know his parents. Nice people."

I hesitated, scanning his expression. I knew he was trying to be happy for me, which is more than I could say from how I knew my mother would react, but I could see him forcing himself not to overthink anything. Suddenly, I was praying they never, _ever_ met Thea.

"Well, congratulations," he smiled sadly, pulling me into another, tighter hug. "I can't wait to meet him."

My eyes suddenly burned. "Mum's going to hate him."

"Oh, hey," Dad scolded gently, pulling me back and frowning down at me. "Of course she won't! He's part of the family now, Des, she understands that."

I pulled a face, blinking the tears away. "Are you sure?" I asked quietly. Dad's face fell.

"Des?" a voice suddenly called. "Mum? Dad? You guys here?"

Dad and I hurriedly put our faces straight as we turned to see Cameron stood in the doorway, with Margo hanging onto his neck and Oliver stood by his feet. My eldest brother was tall and strong, with a shaved head and hazel eyes. Oliver looked a lot like him, apart from his dark, curly hair and baby face, and Margo closely resembled her mother, Laura, with wavy blonde hair and shining, chocolate eyes.

"Des!" she squealed happily, squirming in Cam's hold and I smiled easily, rushing forward to scoop my niece into my arms.

"Ready, Dad?" Cameron asked. "The table at the restaurant is booked for six."

Dad cleared his throat, nodding. "Sara!" he called loudly, moving toward the bathroom Mum had stalked into. "Sara, Cam's here with the kids! We need to go!"

"Make sure Destiny has changed into the new dress I bought her!" was the only response, and Dad shot me a pitiful look.

"In that bag," he grimaced at me, pointing at a shopping back by Mum's suitcase. "It'll look lovely on you."

He was probably right, but Mum was still micro-managing my life. Shaking the thought out of my mind, I reminded myself that I had to keep her as happy as possible and handed Margo back to Cam. I picked the bag up with a deep breath and slipped into my bedroom.

In the space of five minutes, I changed into the simple deep red dress Mum had bought with a pair of red pumps and clipped my hair back quickly, hurrying back out and letting Margo jump into my arms again. The rest of the family had dressed up reasonably well, enough to meet Mum's standard's at least, so Cam led the way back out with Oliver in toe and the eight of us took two cabs to Laura's restaurant.

It was a large, fancy place, the sort of restaurant I'd never have imagined myself in. Inside, everything was a dark stained wood or painted a deep, warm red. Low lights meant I couldn't make out many of the customer's features, and jazz music was playing quietly in the background. A low mumble of voices mixed with clattering from the kitchen, and I thought I could just make out Laura, a tall, slim woman with blonde hair tied back strictly, scowling and snapping her orders. Looking at her, you'd never know she was actually a very nice woman.

"Ah, Officer McKenna!" one of the waiters beamed when he caught sight of Cam. "Have you booked a table?"

"Yes, thank you, James," Cam smiled back warmly. "Laura knows we're here."

"Yes, Officer McKenna," the waiter smiled. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your table."

The man led us through the large, open plan floor, talking animatedly to Cam, who apparently knew the waiter quite well. Since he seemed to be leading us straight to the back of the room, I took the time to scan the tables around me. Stretching to see as much of the room as possible, I absent-mindedly picked Margo back up into my arms as she tugged on the bottom of my dress, my eyes still wandering. Just as my eyes hovered over someone I thought was eerily familiar, something shifted in the back of my mind and I froze on the spot for a second.

_Destiny? _a stunned voice came.

I blinked, suddenly realising who I was staring at. _Yves? What are you doing here?_ A strange mixture of joy and panic shot through me at the thought of him being so close, but Yves didn't seem to notice.

_Eating,_ he replied, mildly amused. _It's a restaurant._

My lips twisted, but before I could reply someone cleared their throat. "Destiny?" Dad frowned ahead of me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I blurted quickly, hurrying toward them.

In my arms, Margo giggled and lifted a finger to tap the side of my forehead. "She's talking in her head again, Grandpa," she said, and the waiter blinked in confusion. Mum scowled at me irritably over his shoulder, but I ignored her and let him pull out a chair for Margo.

Smiling at the little girl as I set her in the chair, I winked once. "I have to talk to myself, sweetie," I told her. "It's the most sense I get in this family." She laughed at me, swinging her legs over the side of the chair, and the waiter chuckled, at ease once more. I shot Mum a smug look, but she'd already decided I wasn't worth the attention anymore. My jaw locked angrily, and Dad wrapped a hand around one of my arms, pulling me down in the seat beside him.

"Calm yourself, Des," he muttered, eyeing my expression cautiously. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

"Thanks," I grumbled at him, shifting to make myself more comfortable at the large, circular table as Cam and Oliver took a seat each on Dad's left, and Coleen and Jessie took seats to Margo's right, with Mum sat directly opposite me.

_Are you okay?_ Yves's concerned voice came.

_No,_ I admitted irritably. _But at least that means I don't care if I annoy her later._

There was a minute's silence. _Shout if you need me,_ he finally settled on, and I felt myself relax, smiling to myself. He'd barely said two words to me, and already I felt better. If I was being honest with myself, I felt better just knowing he was in the same room as I was. I could still make out his table in the distance, where it looked like most of his family were sat around a long table. Though I couldn't make any of their features out, I knew Yves was sat at the far end, beside a girl with long wavy hair, and someone I thought might have been the biker brother I'd met at the conference.

"Honestly, Destiny, will you please pay attention?" Mum snapped wryly, and I shook myself.

"Um?" I questioned, turning my attention back to her, and she frowned, pointing at the waiter hovering by my side. I started, grimacing at him politely. "I'm so sorry, I was miles away. I didn't even see you there."

He smiled back kindly. "That's alright, Miss McKenna," he dismissed easily. "Are you ready to order?"

Hurriedly choosing something from the menu, I tried to focus on the conversation at the table, but my eyes kept sliding over toward Yves. _You'll annoy your Mom if you keep ignoring them,_ his warning came about fifteen minutes later, after our main course had been served and most of the table was busy eating.

_I honestly couldn't care less, _I admitted, twirling my own pasta around on my fork absent-mindedly.

_I do,_ he argued. _I'd prefer it if your family liked me._

Something shifted in my stomach, and I managed to smile tightly at Mum before she accused me of ignoring her again. Satisfied, she returned to lecturing Cam about ways to keep Margo and Oliver safe when they went to school. _Dad likes you already,_ I replied. _He knows your parents, apparently._

_I know. Mom and Dad told me they'd been working with your parents recently. They knew you were my age, but they didn't think you'd be here. They said your Mom was a little protective when they asked her about you._

I spluttered slightly into my glass of water, and the family turned to stare at me. "Sorry," I grimaced. "Just a cough." _They asked about me? _I asked Yves abruptly.

I saw him shift on the spot out of the corner of my eye. _Yes. They asked about your siblings as well. They were only being polite._

_I wasn't complaining, I just didn't think they knew about me, that's all,_ I replied, squirming in discomfort. Dad shot me a concerned look, scanning the room with narrowed eyes.

_I told all of them about you,_ Yves admitted slowly. _Zed and Xav asked the moment I got back, and then Zed told Grace, and so on. What about you? Have you told them yet?_

I shifted again. _Just Dad. Mum shouted because I wasn't at the hotel when she got back, and Jessie and Coleen were in a mood because I left them at the conference. I'll tell them as soon as Mum calms down, I promise._

_Whatever you think's best,_ he replied immediately. _I'm here if you need me._

My heart fluttered again. _I know. Thanks, Yves._

_Anytime,_ he answered, and I knew he was smiling. My lips twitched in response, and in the same second, someone kicked me sharply under the table. I jumped, blinking as Jessie scowled across the table.

"What is going on with you?" she hissed while Mum was busy fussing over Oliver's hair.

"Nothing," I dismissed again, and she scoffed.

Mum glanced sideways, eyeing me suspiciously. "Everything alright, girls?" she asked politely, and I nodded with a small smile, kicking Jessie until she grimaced tightly with a short nod. Beside me, Dad's shoulders sagged a fraction. "So Destiny, how was your day?" Mum continued, a little irritably. "Since it was obviously good enough for you to leave your cousin and best friend."

Coleen shuffled uncomfortably, shooting me a sympathetic look before returning her attention to help Margo with her food. Jessie, on the other hand, folded her arms over her chest and frowned at me. I gulped hard, my stomach twisting. "It was great, thank you," I replied carefully, watching Mum smooth out Oliver's hair. Clenching my fists to stop them shaking, I opened my mouth to confess everything, but the words caught in the back of my throat.

_Oh come on, Des! _I scolded mentally, hating the way my heart hammered worriedly in my chest. _Get it over with!_

_ It's alright,_ Yves's voice came soothingly. _We'll get through it._

His words calmed me just enough to force myself to speak. "Mum, I met my soulfinder today," I blurted in a rush.

The effect was immediately. Cameron choked violently on his wine, and Coleen gasped, dropping Margo's spoon to the ground in shock. Jessie cursed with wide eyes, loud enough to make the nearby tables turn to shoot her angry looks. Beside me, Dad had gone rigid. Oliver and Margo alone seemed to be unaffected, staring at all of us with innocent eyes.

Mum, on the other hand, simply stared, her expression slack and her eyes shining. Looking at her made me wince. "Your soulfinder?" Cameron gawped at me. "Here? In New York?"

I gulped again, nodding slowly. "He lives in Denver," I explained. "His name's Yves Benedict."

"He's a Benedict?" my brother blinked, shifting. "Well . . . could've been worse, I suppose."

"Worse?" Jessie breathed in surprise, a smile starting to tug on the corners of her lips. "Des, do you mean the guy you left the conference with, because if you do . . . wow! That guy is _hot!_ And he's your soulfinder?"

"Jessie!" Coleen scolded, shooting me a concerned look when I didn't answer or smile back. "That doesn't matter! If he's her soulfinder, that's brilliant news, no matter what he looks like! I'm so happy for you, Des! You're going to have to tell me everything. What's he like? I bet he's really intelligent!"

"Forget that!" Jessie scoffed. "She pulled one of the hottest guys in the room! I mean, seriously Des, he puts _at least _half of your exes to shame."

Coleen opened her mouth to argue again, but after minutes of sitting in stunned silence, Mum finally snapped. "You knew, didn't you?" she glared at Dad, in a deadly even tone that made me flinch.

The entire table descended into an awkward silence, and Cameron shifted in his seat, his eyes fixed on his plate. Dad frowned, scanning her face. "Yes," he admitted quietly. "She told me after you'd finished shouting at her."

"Oh, so it's my fault my daughter doesn't trust me with the biggest thing in her life?" she snapped angrily, and Dad tensed, scowling back.

"Mum, I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I should have told you sooner but-"

"Sooner?" she hissed at me, and I froze, staring with a straight face. "You shouldn't have run off with him in the first place!"

Jessie and Coleen blinked in shock, gawping at her as I choked, worry disappearing and being immediately replaced with anger. "What?" I growled back furiously. "You're annoyed I spent the day with my soulfinder?"

"Destiny," Dad warned with a frown, but Mum ignored him entirely.

"You have no idea who the boy is!" she spat back. "He could have done anything, and where would you be then? How would we feel knowing we'd let our daughter wander off alone? Or do our feelings not matter?"

"Do you even hear yourself?" I yelled back, pushing myself to my feet angrily. Everyone within earshot turned, muttering amongst themselves. "Today has been the best day of my life, and you're so obsessed with the idea I'll screw everything up as badly as you did that you're trying to make me feel guilty about it!"

The moment the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. Mum's face fell, and Dad's eyes flashed in anger. Between them, Cameron frowned at me exasperatedly, and Jessie and Coleen looked ready to fall off their chairs in shock. Margo and Oliver, on the other hand, were on the brink of tears.

I shook all over in anger, unable to form a coherent apology. Without a word, I snatched my jacket and purse up and stepped away from the chair. "I'm going back to the room," I grumbled.

"Destiny McKenna, you-" Mum started.

"Can take care of myself," I snapped back. "Just . . . leave me alone, for five minutes." Averting my gaze, I started through the room, ignoring the customer's staring after me. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Yves get to his feet and mutter something at two people I assumed were his parents. I didn't stop, weaving past the waiter who'd shown us to the table and hurrying for the door.

The second I was out of the restaurant, I gasped a shaky breath, my hands quivering at my sides as I leant against the wall. I knew I shouldn't have shouted at her like that, but I couldn't help it. Yves was great. He was charming, and sweet, and intelligent, and a hundred times better for me than anyone else out there, and my own mother was too bitter to be happy for me.

"Destiny?"

I gulped, blinking tears out of my eyes as I turned to look at Yves. He was stood by the door, in a pair of smart trousers and a dark blue button down shirt. His eyebrows were pulled together in concern, his eyes fixed on me. The sight made me crumble, and I dropped my head into my hands, shaking in controllable tears.

In the same second, Yves moved straight toward me, taking my wrist and pulling me into him. "Hey," he said softly, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. "It's alright, we'll fix it."

"No, we won't," I sniffed. "You should have heard what I said to her."

"Shush," he soothed, rubbing my back carefully. "She's your Mom, Destiny. She'll understand."

Gulping again, I shook my head and pulled back, wiping the tears from my eyes. "No you don't understand," I muttered. "The reason she doesn't like soulfinders . . . Yves, when she was my age, she was obsessed with the idea of finding him, falling in love, starting a new life. She travelled everywhere, never settled down. But when she still hadn't found him by the time she was almost forty, she lost all hope for ever knowing who he was. At the time, my Dad was just a friend. They married and had a family so that they weren't alone. That's it."

Yves stared at me for a moment, speechless, and I couldn't help groaning. "She's protective over me because she didn't want me to make the same mistake, and now I've met you, and she's bitter and twisted, and I'm a horrible daughter."

"Hey!" he scowled, shaking his head at me. "You're a good person, Destiny. You'll sort your differences out." I sniffed again and buried my face into his neck with a fresh sob. He sighed heavily, his grip tightening.

"Yves, what . . . ?"

Yves and I turned, glancing back toward the restaurant doors. The biker guy was back, dressed in dark jeans and a black button down shirt, this time accompanied by a slim girl with a stern expression and mahogany red hair clipped over one shoulder. She was wearing a simple grey dress, covered in lace, with an old, worn, black leather jacket thrown over her shoulders and tatty combat boots on her feet.

The biker cleared his throat. "Sorry," he apologised half-heartedly. "Mom's freaking out again."

I shifted awkwardly, but the girl beside him jabbed him with her elbow. "She's worried," she corrected dryly. "That's all."

Yves sighed heavily, rolling his eyes when the biker shot a small smirk at the girl. "Destiny, this is my younger brother, Zed, and his girlfriend, Grace," he introduced.

Zed grinned at me. "So you're stuck with Yves, huh?" he smirked smugly.

"More like he's stuck with me," I grumbled quietly, and Yves tightened his arm around me again. "You two are soulfinders?"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Apparently," she sighed exasperatedly, and I blinked. Zed, on the other hand, wound an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. She pulled her face, but her eyes shone slightly and she shook her head at him. "Is everything okay?" she asked, glancing at Yves again.

"It's fine," he told them easily. "Destiny just had a misunderstanding with her family. I'm taking her back to her hotel room."

Grace shuffled awkwardly, frowning at me slightly. "It was nice meeting you," she said carefully, stretching out to shake my hand, and Zed snorted beside her.

"One of these days, you might mean that," he grinned at her.

Instead of arguing, she just shrugged. "Don't hold your breath," she answered simply, nodding politely at me and slipping out of his hold, turning back into the restaurant. I stared after her, jaw hanging slightly.

"Is she always that rude?" I blinked.

Zed laughed, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Pretty much," he shrugged. "She means well, but she's not a people person."

I pulled a face. "I'll bear that in mind," I mumbled.

Yves's arm tightened. "Come on," he said. "Your parents will only get more annoyed if you stay out here too long."

I scowled. "Thanks for the reminder."

Grimacing at Zed, Yves led me away from the restaurant and waved down a cab. The two of us climbed into the back, where he leant forward to tell the driver where to take us. As he leant back, he grimaced at me softly. "Things will be easier in the morning," he muttered. "Trust me."

I glanced up at him, shifting uncomfortably. "I do," I agreed.

He smiled. "Good."

"It's my Mum I've got the problem with," I added moodily, and he sighed. Without a word, I shuffled closer and leant my head on his shoulder, wrapping one of my hands through his. I saw him flush slightly, and my lips pursed to stop myself laughing at him.

Maybe he was right. Looking at him, I couldn't imagine how anyone could possibly dislike Yves. He was just too . . ._ good._ So maybe it was a good idea for him to meet Mum.


End file.
